234 
“The chain of inferences did not come to an end even with this apparent 
climax. This terrestrial sphere, with its varied contents, having been duly 
accounted for by the progressive hypothesis of the novel lore, the transcen- 
dental was confidently taken in hand. Suppose the human soul to be carbon 
with a slight admixture of phosphor and a delicate flavouring of oxygen, the 
final result obtruded itself— that He in whose image the ancestors of modern 
philosophers believed men to have been created was no more than an aggre- 
gate of automatic forces. Though these extreme views were not universally 
adopted even by latitudinarians, still they found many disciples, and here 
and there an apostle. 
“ At this year’s autumnal meeting of the German natural philosophers at 
Munich, a succinct account of this theory was given with considerable gusto 
by Dr. Haeckel, the Jena Professor of Zoology, and an eminent representative 
of extreme Darwinism in this country. A few of his remarks will suitably 
supplement what has been said. Having contended that the Biblical 
account of this planet’s creation has long been demolished by geology, Herr 
Haeckel wondered that morphology should have been so slow to come forward 
and explain the origin and diversity of the animal world. According to him, 
the two principles of inheritance and adaptation explain the development of 
the manifold existing organisms from a single organic cell ; while, were 
further argument needed to disprove supernatural intervention, we have 
only to turn to the frequent occurrence of undeveloped and useless organs in 
many types of the animal world to realize the truth. In this way the 
Creator is disposed of, not only as superfluous, but as a being who, if He 
existed, instead of being all-wise, would every now and then have committed 
the indiscretion of attempting to create eyes and wings which His power did 
not suffice to perfect. Then, passing on to the omnipotent cell, constituting 
the groundwork of animal bodies, he referred his audience to certain zoologi- 
cal inquiries proving the possession of motion and sensibility, of perception 
and will, even by those primary organisms consisting of but a single cell. 
“ Everything being thus dependent upon the cell, the lecturer at this stage 
became interested in the matter forming this marvellous organism. The cell, 
then, consists of matter called protoplasm, composed chiefly of carbon, with 
an admixture of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur. These component 
parts, properly united, produce body and soul of the animated -world, and, 
suitably nursed, become man. With this simple argument the mystery of 
the universe is explained, the Divinity annulled, and a new era of infinite 
knowledge ushered in. It was a fitting conclusion to such a scientific 
pronunciamiento that the lecturer, who regarded his argument as incontro- 
vertible, insisted that it should be taught in every school of the land. In a 
previous part of his speech he had certainly admitted that the theory of 
organic evolution could not be experimentally proved ; but as ho asserted in 
the same breath that no such demonstration was required, and that the facts 
observed enabled any one in his senses to draw the crowning inferences, this 
deficiency had nothing in it to shake his assurance. 
